Syed Mushtaq Ali: Rajasthan beat star-studded UP

RAIPUR: Team Rajasthan don’t have big names but so far they have been clicking as a unit. Their team effort helped them come out of trouble in the first match against Madhya Pradesh after they were asked to bat in the challenging conditions.
On Tuesday, they were lucky with the toss. Skipper Aniket Choudhary had no hesitation to field. Rajasthan pacers - Choudhary, Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed - made life difficult for Uttar Pradesh openers - Eklavya Dwivedi and Samarth Singh - who despite adding 63 in 10 overs never looked comfortable.Spinners Chandrapal Singh and Tajinder Dhillon then bowled tidy spells to complement their pacers as the star-studded Uttar Pradesh were restricted to 146-5 in 20 overs.
When Rajasthan came out to bat, opener Ankit Lamba (45, 34b, 3x4, 2x6) lived a charmed life and added 64 with Aditya Garhwal (37, 29b, 5x4) to set up the chase. Though Team Rajasthan lost unnecessary wickets in the middle and also towards the end, Mahipal Lomror (27, 19b, 3x4) and Rajesh Bishnoi (Senior) (21*, 15b, 1x4, 1x6) played sensibly to guide their team to a comfortable four-wicket victory. It was their second victory in as many matches in the Central Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament here at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
Choudhary, Chahar and Ahmed bowled well together and utilized the conditions to great effect. There were hardly any boundary balls for Dwivedi and Samarth. They tried to manufacture different shots but that didn’t work out. Samarth’s run out ended their opening stand. Skipper Suresh Raina received cheer from the crowd but he too struggled against Rajasthan bowlers. Dwivedi was caught by wicketkeeper Chetan Bisht, although he looked upset with umpire’s decision.
Raina and Akshdeep Nath tried to up the tempo but none could hit boundaries. While Raina got a solitary boundary against Chandrapal Singh, Nath launched Lamba for a huge six. Both, however, got out after getting their eyes in. Rinku Singh’s enterprising innings and Sarfaraz Khan (19, 11b, 2x6) helped UP reach close to 150-run mark. Sarfaraz scooped Ahmed for a couple of sixes to finish off the innings.
With wicket doing something, it looked a fighting total. UP needed quick wickets and Ankit Rajpoot created opportunity in his first over. However, Sarfaraz Khan dropped a straight forward catch at covers to reprieve Lamba. The Rajasthan opener again provided the opportunity when he tried to pull Amit Mishra. Rajpoot, however, made the mess of an easy opportunity at mid-on.
Lamba and Garhwal first steadied the innings and then batted positively. They exploded after five overs which helped Rajasthan keep run rate under control. Garhwal played some attractive strokes, while Lamba continued to take chances despite being reprieved twice. They were cruising along when Lamba played an unnecessary shot off part-timer Nath, which led his downfall. He had hit Nath for a six just a ball before. Garhwal also played across the line and was cleaned up by Rajpoot. Soon, their last match hero Tajinder Dhillon, too perished while trying to hit Saurabh Kumar.
It was the only period when UP looked like making a comeback. However, Lomror and Bishnoi kept their cool. They rotated the strike and kept getting important boundaries at important juncture of the match. When the asking rate was going towards eight runs, Bishnoi hit Rajpoot for a straight six that almost sealed the UP’s fortune. Their 23-ball 33-run fifth wicket stand proved decisive for Rajasthan. Lomror and Chahar got out while trying to finish the game with six but Bishnoi stood till the end to see his side home.